afhamed to mention, as if it were improper, our faith in a judgement to come; as a reafon against fin, a motive to holinefs, a fupport under affliction; or to acknowledge ourselves influenced by it in any one article of conduct? Or, if we do admit another flate to fuggeft itfelf to us, perhaps we think more of hell with flavish terror, than of heaven with filial gratitude. Nay, even when we think of heaven, too commonly, if the truth were known, we have extremely faint wishes for it, or inclinations towards it. Yet, we can neither attain it, nor enjoy it, without loving it: and to love it indeed, we must love purity and benevolence, the company of good men, the worship of God: love to celebrate the praises of him that fits on the throne, and the Lamb at his right hand: to meditate on the mercy of our heavenly Father, the condefcenfion and the glories of his eternal Son, the gracicus infpirations of his Holy Spirit; our miserable condition by nature, our bleffed one through the gospel of Chrift, our profpect of improving in pious and virtuous affection to all eternity. Now thefe, it may be feared, are the things of all others, that the thoughts many of us dwell on leaft, and with the leaft fatisfaction yet we call ourselves chriftians, and hope to be faved.

Nor muft it be denied, that great imperfection in fpiritual defires may be confiftent with a state of acceptance. But the farther fuch defires come fhort of their due vigour, the weaker evidence we fhall have of what we are most concerned to know the nearer they advance towards it, the greater will be qur comfort and help from above; for to him that bath, shall be given: and though, from natural caufes, they may fink, without danger, beneath what they once were, in fenfible warmth, yet if their practical effects begin to leffen, it should be an alarming admonition, to remember from whence we are fallen, and repent and do our first works†; to be watchful and ftrengthen the things which remain, that are ready to diet.

The methods to reftore, to preserve and heighten our devout breathings towards the Father of Spirits§, and the place of his abode, are thefe: that we appoint, and refolutely fecure to ourselves frequent feasons for examining and rectifying

Matth. xiii. 12. † Rev. ii. 5. Ib. iii. 2. § Hei. xii. 9:

2

thofe

those wrong apprehenfions of things which our own corrupt natures, the commerce of the world, and the fuggeftions of the wicked one ate fo apt to give us that then we recollect the vanity, inability, and momentary duration, of every earthly good, the certainty of the unfeen ftate, the eternal continu ance of its joys and fufferings, the infeparable connexion of the one or the other with our prefent fentiments and behaviour; the authority and holinefs of God, our own frailty, guilt, and weakness; the facrifice and refurrection, the afcenfion and interceffion, of our bleffed Mediator; and when we have filled our fouls with these great truths, lay open the workings of them before the Lord of all, in fuitable confeffions, petitions, and praifes: that, if we find not at firft the pleasure or the benefit we wish from fuch exercifes, we perfevere in them notwithtanding; yet fo as not to let them become either on the one hand empty forms, or on the other unneceffary burthens; but employ them difcreetly, as means to arrive at our end that we affist our devotions and reflexions chiefly by the inimitable Spirit that breathes in the holy fcriptures: but also by the ufe of other good books, and religious converfation, judicioully chofen that we abstain confcientiously, as far as we can from every thing, of every fort, which we find hath a tendency to corrupt or deaden our hearts; but particularly that we shelter our tender piety from the blafts of fcoffers with the utmost caution; indeed rather hide it from their knowledge, than expose it to their ridicule, yet never deny ourselves to be what we are that we conftantly attend the public fervice of God, not as a matter of custom or entertainment, but with a faithful care to join fervently in his worship, to learn meekly from his word, and cherith by reflexion afterwards whatever good impreffions we have felt at the time that we ftatedly come to the holy table with due preparation, vow peculiarly, in partaking of it, to live by the faith of the Son of God; and, as we profefs uniting ourselves to him by means of it, remember, that be who is joined to the Lord is one fpirit, Nor fhould we confider only the duty of being heavenly-minded, but also its advantages. We fhall ceafe to fear death in proportion as we fet our affections on what is to follow it; and have hope as an anchor of the foul, fure and fedfaft, and which entereth into

Gal. ii. 20. t Cor. vi. 17.

that

that within the vail, whither the fore-runner is entered for us*. We shall scorn to enjoy the pleasures of fin for a season, if we have refpect to the recompence of reward; bear whatever fufferings our chriftian cbedience may expose us to, as Seeing him, who is invifible. We fhall take joyfully the lofs of worldly goods, knowing we have in heaven a better and an enduring fubftance. When we are deprived of our dearest friends, we shall refrain our voice from weeping, and our eyes from tears, for our work fhall be rewarded, and they Shall come again from the land of the enemy§. We shall run with patience the race that is fet before us, looking unte Fefus, who endured the cross, defpifing the shame, and is fet down at the right hand of the throne of God. The more we contemplate him, the more we feel we love him, the more we shall con fequently feel we are beloved by him. And when once we have tafted, that the Lord is gracious, we fhall be filled with all joy and peace in believing, and abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghoft**, till we can fay experiment ally with the Pfalmift, I am alway by thee: thou haft bolden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counfel, and after that receive me with glory. Whom bave I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire in comparison of thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for evertt.

Heb. vi. 19, 20. † Ib. xi. 25, 26, 27. Ib. x. 34. § Jer. xxxi. 16. 1 Heb. xii. 1, 2. 1 Pet. ii. 3

†† Pf. lxxiii. 22, 25.

** Rom. xv. 13:

SER

SERMON LXI.

THE NATURE OF RELIGIOUS DISPENSATION IN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT.

I JOHN ii. 7, 8,

Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment, which ye bad from the beginning: the old commandment is the word, which ye bave heard from the beginning.

·Again, a new commandment I write unto you: which thing is true in him and in you; because the darkness is past, and the true light now fbineth.

THESE words contain a very useful piece of inftruction,

expreffed in a manner fomewhat obfcure and enigmatical, on purpose to excite that attention, which they will foon reward by the discovery of their meaning. Probably they were defigned to be more especially understood of the great precept, inculcated immediately after them, of univerfal goodwill: an original duty of mankind, but ftrangely forgotten throughout the earth, till our Saviour taught it more clearly, and enforced it more ftrongly, than had ever been done before. Yet they are equally applicable to the whole of chriftianity: and it might very well be the apostle's meaning to extend them fo far, and fet forth in them a truth, wonderfully fitted to give both a juft and engaging notion of the gofpel: that its general purpose is to make men happy, by restoring amongst them the belief and practice of the primitive univerfal religion of rational beings: and that its peculiar doctrines were all introduced by the change of human circumftances, and are the fame in fubftance with thofe, of which the Patriarchs and Jews received imperfect notices, and typical reprefentations in antient time that being thus, in refpect of God's early promulgation

of

of it, an old commandment; it was yet, with respect to the age in which our Saviour republished it, a new one; as darkness had covered the word, which by his means was driven away; and the light of truth difplayed again, with a brightness and reviving warmth, till then unknown. For chriftianity added much evidence and diftinétnefs to many important, and many comfortable articles of faith; and then building on them the correfponding obligations of duty, completed on the old foundations a ftructure, only fo far new as the state of mankind required it hould be. This is, doubtless, an advantageous view of the chriftian dispensation; representing it as doing for us exactly what we needed to have done; and that it is likewife a jutt view of it, I fhall endeavour to fhew, by laying before you,

The nature of religion as it flood at firft,

The condition of mankind afterwards and

The fitness of the gofpel to that condition.

The duty of man, fo far as it was discoverable to him by reafon, whilft he continued innocent, muft confift in love, honour, and obedience, to his Maker, Benefactor, and Sovereign Lord, joined with the care of copying the divine goodness in his behaviour to his fellow-creatures, and the divine holinefs in the rational government of himself. It is plain, that he could be obliged to no more, unlefs God was pleased, by revelation, to fuperadd more; and as plain, that he was obliged to the whole of this. For to pretend reverence to our Father in heaven, yet to mifufe his children and our brethren on earth; or to behave with affection, dutifulness and gratitude amongst them, and yet thew none to him; and to profefs both a righteous and godly life, yet to fail of the obligations of a fober one, contradicting and debafing reafon by brutal exceffes and irregularities, is evidently faulty and inconfiftent. The fame regard to truth and right, which requires any of these things, requires them all. So that neither piety and morals can be feparated from each other, nor any part of either from the reft: but the whole hath one foundation; and is indeed one temper of mind, only exerted towards different objects. In this happy rectitude of heart and behaviour, confifts the image of God, the perfection of man, the original religion of all creatures, capable of religion, throughout the univerfc.

Sup